


Coming Clean

by dontlookback



Series: Mayward Week 2020 [5]
Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Chatting & Messaging, Fluff, M/M, SO, i don't know how to tag this one either, it's a wrong number au+ a soulmates au in one, jj calls pope love again. this will be a reoccuring theme in my fics i dont make the rules x, uh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26902228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontlookback/pseuds/dontlookback
Summary: Chapter 1: Mayward Week 2020, Prompt 5: "What are you thinking?" + piningChapter 2: Mayward Week 2020, Prompt 6: "It will be fun, trust me." + fluffPope receives a message from a stranger, and if it weren’t for the name inked on his wrist, he might think there’s something there.
Relationships: JJ/Pope (Outer Banks)
Series: Mayward Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945528
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

Pope doesn’t remember the first time he learned about soulmates. It’s always just been there, a fact in a world of chaos. He is human, which means he has to eat, breathe, sleep. He is human, which means that somewhere out there, another person is his perfect match.

He remembers sitting on the carpet in the living room as his mother watched a film about a boy and a girl who fell in love without having the other’s name on their wrists. It had ended in heartbreak. He had climbed up onto the couch with appropriate difficulty for a four-year-old and asked his mother if he, too, would be sad like the people in the film because he, too, didn’t have a name on his wrist.

His mother had held him and assured that it would come in time. Just like Pope’s father’s name had appeared on her wrist, Pope’s soulmate’s name would appear on his. Pope believed her, then.

As he grew older, entering his teenage years and seeing names pop up on his classmates’ wrists, he stopped ruling out the possibility of being like the people in the film. It was rare, people without soulmates, but not as rare as media wanted to make everyone believe. Most of the time, people didn’t want to hear about sad endings – success stories sold better.

His doubts faded when his fifteenth birthday rolled around, and a small dot appeared on his wrist. Over the course of the next several weeks, the dot became a line, and the line stretched out until the name became legible.

 _John_.

Pope sees the messages at two am. He is sitting at his desk, hunched over his reading for English class. It’s not the most conventical time to be doing homework, but it’s not uncommon for Pope to run weird hours. When he turns on his phone to look up the assignment’s requirements, he’s surprised to see he’s missed a few messages.

> **Unknown Number:** k so i propose we meet up as little as possible for this tnx
> 
> **Unknown Number:** i also propose we do chapt 12 bc chapt 10 is hell
> 
> **Unknown Number:** …??
> 
> **Unknown Number:** i ALSO also propose that you answer my msgs
> 
> **Unknown Number:** for fucks sake
> 
> **Unknown Number:** i swear to fucking god TOPPER
> 
> **Unknown Number:** i’m not too happy abt this either ok

Confused, Pope stares at the screen. He’s sure he’s never seen the number before, and the messages do little to help him figure out what is going on. Whoever send this seems angry, that’s for sure. Hesitantly, Pope types something back.

> **You:** Sorry but who are you?

The reply comes near immediately.

> **Unknown Number:** i will literally punch you in the face next time i see you
> 
> **You:** No seriously I have no idea who you are
> 
> **Unknown Number:** i was kidding about the punching thing b4 but now i’m not so sure
> 
> **You:** I’m not joking
> 
> **You:** You probably have the wrong number?
> 
> **Unknown Number:** … are you joking
> 
> **You:** I just said I wasn’t
> 
> **Unknown Number:** huh
> 
> **Unknown Number:** who tf are u then?????
> 
> **You:** YOU texted ME, I should be asking you that
> 
> **Unknown Number:** oh, i’m jj, the most beautiful person u’ll ever meet <3

Pope stares at the message, because really, how do you reply to that? It’s weird enough to be talking to someone without knowing who they are, really. Especially after whatever the mess of messages at the start meant. He tries not to overthink his next message and fails terribly – another message from the mystery person, JJ, arrives when he’s backspacing his message for the fourth time.

> **Unknown Number:** cat got your tongue?
> 
> **You:** I was just trying to figure out a way to nicely tell you that ‘u’ll’ is offensive to my eyes
> 
> **Unknown Number:** huh
> 
> **Unknown Number:** so i really do have the wrong number
> 
> **You:** Yup, but I already said that??
> 
> **Unknown Number:** well sure but that could’ve been a lie
> 
> **Unknown Number:** topper would never manage to be funny tho so i believe u
> 
> **Unknown Number:** even if u made fun of my immaculate typing skills. don’t u think i’ve truly mastered being cool n casual for the internet
> 
> **You:** There is… so much to unpack here
> 
> **You:** 1 what the fuck is a topper. 2 no
> 
> **Unknown Number:** u hurt me, love of mine
> 
> **Unknown Number:** oh and topper is my asshole classmate who i unfortunately have to do a bio project with
> 
> **Unknown Number:** who apparently thought giving me a fake number made sense?????
> 
> **You:** Ah
> 
> **You:** Well I have to go do work now
> 
> **Unknown Number:** it’s two am what kind of fucked up job do u have that requires u to work at two am
> 
> **You:** It’s schoolwork
> 
> **Unknown Number:** oh, cool, what age r u ? also u haven’t told ur name yet

Pope hesitates, fingers hovering above his keyboard. It’s not that he thinks he has much to loose by telling the stranger his name, but it still feels strange. Names are… names are powerful. He’d rather not give his to someone he’ll probably never talk to again.

> **You:** 17 and I’m not telling you because we literally do not know each other
> 
> **Unknown Number:** hey me too!!!!! and u know my name :(
> 
> **You:** Well I’m not some creepy old man
> 
> **Unknown Number:** me neither??
> 
> **You:** That’s exactly what a creepy old man would say
> 
> **You:** And in any case I have to go do that schoolwork
> 
> **Unknown Number:** ttyl :)

Surprisingly, they _do_ talk later. A lot, in fact. Over the next few days, they keep on chatting. Pope has no idea how it happened, really, but he thinks they might be starting to become friends. He even saves JJ’s number in his contacts, going from simply _JJ_ to _JJ the destroyer of hearts_ to _JJ the four-headed penguin_ to several other names, all inspired by the strange conversations they have.

Days turn into weeks. JJ’s name changes into simply _JJ :)_ and stays that way. It’s strange, that they’re talking like this, but it also feels natural. Weirdly, JJ disappears off the grid, sometimes. It’s usually radio silence for a day or two, and it shocks Pope how weird it feels, how used he’s become to having those random little conversations thorough their day.

Kiara keeps asking him why he’s smiling at his phone so much. Pope keeps saying he doesn’t really known, which is a non-answer, but a truthful one nonetheless.

Weeks turn into a month, then two. Pope never tells JJ his name, no matter how many other things they get to know about each other. Pope knows, now, that JJ is a boy, that he wants to buy a dog but can’t because of his father, that his favourite ice cream flavour is mango. He knows that JJ has a best friend, John B (John B has a girl’s name on his wrist, JJ tells him when he asks, and Pope, weirdly, feels relief). He knows that, by some strange twist of fate, JJ lives in the same town as he does. It makes Pope feel like he could turn around any corner and suddenly bump into JJ.

He tries not to admit it to himself, but he thinks he might have a bit of a crush. He knows it’s nothing. It’s just one of those childish things you have to go through, having _crushes_. He never understood how anyone could like someone whose name wasn’t on their wrist.

He understands, now.

It’s been three months when JJ asks him a question Pope didn’t see coming.

They’re talking again after a day or three of silence. Pope doesn’t really understand why JJ disappears sometimes, or why he always seems slightly less upbeat when he returns, but he knows enough by now to know it’s not a fun story. He hasn’t pushed JJ to tell it, but JJ has let bits and pieces slide.

> **JJ :):** hey i know this is a weird question but do u mind if we call instead of type?
> 
> **JJ :):** i bruised two fingers so typing is a bitch

Pope hesitates for far too long before he agrees. It’s not really like he’s got anything to lose (except a friendship, maybe). Not even a minute after he agrees, his phone lights up, JJ’s name big on the screen. Pope lets it ring for almost ten seconds before picking up. He puts it on speaker and puts his head in his arms at he stares at the screen.

When it stays silent, he clears his throat and brings up the courage to be the first to speak. “Uh… hello?”

“ _Hi_ ,” a voice answers back, nothing like Pope had been expecting, and Pope forgets how to breathe for a moment. He forgets how to speak, too, apparently, because as the silence drags on for too long, he hears JJ laugh. “ _This is awkward, right?_ ”

Pope laughs, too, glad for how outspoken JJ always is. At the very least, it clears the air. “A bit, yeah. It’s weird to hear your voice.”

“ _Right back at you. Your voice is nice, though. Not what I was expecting._ ”

It sums up Pope’s exact thoughts, and for a moment, he wonders whether they’re actually the same person. No matter how different they are, they’ve hit it off from the first day they started talking, even under such weird consequences. They shouldn’t work, but they do.

Pope almost flinches at that thought, unconsciously tugging his sleeves down further over his wrists. He corrects himself in his thoughts: They shouldn’t work _as friends_ , but they do.

“ _Love?_ ”

What started as joking comments had turned into a regularly used name, _love_. JJ called it his placeholder, just to be used until Pope was ready to tell him his name. There is a chance Pope has been putting off telling JJ his name because he doesn’t want JJ to stop calling him _love_.

Hearing it out loud shakes him to his core.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows he is letting this go too far. He’d been afraid of not having a soulmate, as a kid – now, he’s afraid he’s falling for someone who _isn’t_ his soulmate. It terrifies him; he doesn’t know how to stop it. He doesn’t know if he _wants_ to stop it.

“ _Love, what are you thinking about?_ ”

Pope takes a slow breath. Inhale through the mouth, exhale through the nose. He doesn’t want to stop it, but he has to. It’s not fair to JJ, either. If JJ isn’t his soulmate, which he isn’t, because _John_ is, that also means Pope isn’t JJ’s.

Softly, barely above a whisper, Pope speaks. “Pope.”

“ _I – what?_ ” JJ sounds… shocked, as far as Pope can tell over the phone.

He says, “Pope. It’s my name.”

“ _Oh,_ ” is all JJ says, which is a somewhat underwhelming response after all the times JJ had asked when he would finally get to know Pope’s name. Pope feels a pang of disappointment. “ _Oh._ ”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys like this chapter as well! it's a day late, but i think we can all get over that :,) also i don't know how fluffy this actually is but? uh? i tried?

> **Unknown Number:** Hey i feel weird asking you this but did something happen between you and jj?
> 
> **Unknown Number:** This is john b btw

Pope gets the message in the middle of maths class, a full week after JJ abruptly ended their first phone call. Pope is… well, he’s worried, plain and simple. JJ goes off the radar sometimes; that’s nothing new. From what JJ vaguely told him, Pope gathered JJ doesn’t have the best family and needs some time to deal with that every now and then.

It makes sense, but JJ has never been silent for much longer than a day or three. A week and counting seems like a good reason to worry. It’s possible it has to do with _them_. It’s also possible whatever issues JJ has at home are worse than usual. Pope isn’t sure which scenario worries him more.

He send a handful of messages over the past few days, but he doesn’t want to push too much. JJ means a lot to him, which is odd, considering their friendship consists of late night messages and one short call. Pope can’t know for sure whether _he_ means something to _JJ_. He thinks so – he _thought_ so, but maybe he’s grossly misjudged the situation.

The message from John B is as much a relief as it is a cause of worry. Pope has never talked to John B before, but JJ mentions him a lot, so Pope quickly adds the number to his contacts before he types back.

> **You:** Not really… is everything okay?
> 
> **John B:** More or less
> 
> **John B:** He’s been a bit off n won’t tell me why that’s all
> 
> **John B:** What do you mean not rly?
> 
> **You:** Well we talked over the phone and everything seemed fine
> 
> **You:** So I finally told him my name and then he suddenly had to leave

It’s a bit strange to share these things with someone he’s never met before, but Pope is pretty sure he can trust John B. He knows JJ would trust John B with anything, so if telling him this will in any way fix what’s happening, or at least help JJ, then Pope doesn’t mind at all.

> **John B:** Weird.. well thanks anyways bro
> 
> **You:** Yeah of course, I hope everything is ok
> 
> **You:** It’s Pope, by the way. My name, I mean
> 
> **John B:** Oh
> 
> **You:** … that’s what JJ said, too
> 
> **You:** Seriously, what’s happening?

Pope keeps staring at his phone, but it stays clear of a reply for several more minutes. It’s agonising. There isn’t many reasons a name can upset someone, let alone two people. It comes down to this: if anyone is going to think anything about your name, it’s most likely a soulmate thing.

Pope isn’t an idiot – he knows his little crush on JJ means nothing in the grand scheme of things, and he holds no hope for JJ to have Pope’s name inked on his wrist. After all, Pope isn’t illiterate, and he is perfectly aware that his wrist tells him his soulmate’s name is John.

It can’t be about John B, either – they’ve crossed that bridge already – but Pope wonders if maybe JJ and John B know the ultimate someone. His soulmate. It doesn’t make much sense for the two boys to react the way that they are, though. Unless, maybe, they don’t like the person who might be Pope’s soulmate. Pope has trouble catching up with his own feelings about it all.

When John B replies, a few minutes of mild panicking later, Pope doesn’t send anything back.

> **John B:** I can’t tell, sorry
> 
> **John B:** Just call jj, ok? Ask him

It takes Pope an entire two days before he finds the courage to actually call JJ. He sends two more messages, first, but both receive no reply, which is how he finds himself curled up in bed, late at night, unable to sleep and with his index finger dangling above JJ’s phone number.

He clicks and immediately regrets it, but doesn’t hang up. This is something he has to do. JJ won’t even answer, probably, considering his track record with messages and the fact that it’s past midnight. Pope is certain he won’t get any sort of acknowledgement for having called.

He’s also wrong.

“ _Hello?_ ” JJ picks up after only two rings. He sounds disgruntled and tired, but Pope’s heart still skips a beat from hearing his voice.

“Fuck. I mean, hi. I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

Silence. Then, “ _No, you didn’t._ ”

Pope isn’t sure what to say. He didn’t expect to be having his conversation. He blurts out, “I, uh, missed you. Talking to you, I mean.”

“ _I missed you, too,_ ” JJ says, and despite his sad tone, Pope is sure he hears a smile in there, somewhere. “ _I guess I disappeared a bit._ ”

He laughs at that. “You totally disappeared! I’ve been worried. John B messaged me, even. No idea how he got my number.”

“ _He_ what _? I’m going to kill him, I swear. He probably went through my phone. I should change my password._ ”

“You should,” Pope smiles. He forgot how easy it is to talk to JJ when the boy is acting like himself. “Even I know your password, and I don’t even really know you.”

There’s a long silence.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“ _No. You… I just want to say, you do know me. You know more about me than most people do_.” Pope considers that for a moment, and comes to the conclusion that it probably says more about other people than it does about him. JJ doesn’t shy away from sharing random parts of his life, sure, but there’s a lot that leaves Pope with unanswered questions.

“You know what we should do?”

“ _No?_ ”

“We should play 21 questions.” Pope hears himself suggest it with a grin.

JJ laughs. “ _What?_ ”

“Come on! It will be fun, trust me. I want to get to know you better, JJ.”

“ _Okay. Yeah, okay. It’s not like I was getting much sleep anyway. You go first, then._ ”

Pope realises, then, that he doesn’t have any questions ready yet. Instead, “There’s more plastic flamingos in the world than real ones.”

“ _That’s… not a question._ ”

“I know, sorry. I just learned that today and it’s fucked up so I needed to share. So, uh, did you know there’s more plastic flamingos in the world than real ones?” Pope knows he could probably be using his questions for something more interesting, but this seems to clear the air. He needs some time to think of a way to ask the questions he actually wants the answers to – starting with them would mean coming on way too strong.

“ _I do now. That’s fucked up, dude. Okay, my turn. Uh… what do you wanna do after school?_ ”

“College. I wanna be a coroner, maybe.”

“ _Weirdo,_ ” JJ says. Pope hears him breathe out a laugh.

They continue talking for a while, asking each other questions that don’t really matter. Pope gets the feeling that he isn’t the only one circling around what he really wants to ask. They drift off talking after every few questions. It’s much like what Pope expected calling with JJ would be like, before their first call happened and dropped his expectations to a much lower level. They keep trailing off, starting to talk about whatever comes up, endlessly ranting and interrupting each other, though not unkindly.

“ _Your turn! Last question._ ”

Pope didn’t realise how long they’d been talking until JJ points it out. Apparently, they’ve arrived at the twenty-first question. Pope’s phone tells him they’ve been calling for over an hour, but it doesn’t feel like enough time. On the other hand, the questions he has have been burning on his tongue throughout the entire conversation, and there’s many of them.

“What happened, last time we called?” he settles on, finally.

He can hear JJ take a sharp breath on the other side of the call, and it stays silent for a while. “ _I don’t think I can tell you. You won’t like it._ ”

“We’ve been talking for, what, an hour and a half, and everything’s been fine until so far. It’s… whatever it is, JJ, you can tell me.”

“ _Okay_.” There’s another weighted silence, but when JJ speaks again, it’s not to answer the question. “ _Can I take my last turn, first?_ ”

“If you want to.”

“ _Okay_ ,” JJ repeats. “ _What is your soulmate’s name?_ ”

Pope didn’t expect that, but… there really isn’t much depth to answering the question. “It’s John,” he says, shakily, and when he’s only met with silence, he adds, “That’s why I asked about John B, you see. I know it’s a common name, but I… well, I have to check, you know.”

“ _You’re – are you joking, right now? Because if you are, you’re being cruel._ ”

Pope wishes he could see JJ. _God_ , he wishes they weren’t just calling. He wants to be face to face with the other boy – maybe then, he could actually make sense of what JJ was thinking, for once. Except when he’s showing outward happiness, JJ’s emotions are a mystery to Pope.

“Why would I be joking?”

“ _Because._ ”

“Because?”

“ _Because JJ is a nickname._ ”

Pope’s heart stops. His entire body stills for a moment as his thoughts race, and somewhere in the middle of the chaos in his mind, something clicks. JJ. Two J’s. Second J: Junior, probably. Maybe another J-name.

First J: John.

“ _Pope?_ ” JJ says, and he sounds scared, almost, but Pope can feel some of the weight lifting from his chest. It’s the first time he’s heard JJ say his name, Pope knows – he’s achingly aware of how it sounds, coming from JJ, like it’s sacred. Like it means something more to JJ than a simple name should.

“I’ll take my last question, now. What’s your soulmate’s name?”

He hears a laugh, he thinks. Maybe it’s wishful thinking. JJ says, for the second time, “ _Pope._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> i honestly don't know what that was but i had a mighty good time writing it so all is good,,
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr! @the-pogues
> 
> and once again check out other amazing content for this week @maywardweek2020


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